Interior Designer

Job Description:

Interior designers plan, design, and decorate spaces inside buildings

Job Category:
Art & Fashion

What you will do:

In your day-to-day tasks, you may:

  • meet clients to discuss their requirements and ideas
  • develop designs to suit clients’ needs, their budget, and the type of building
  • prepare initial sketches and mood boards for the client to approve
  • advise on use of space, colour schemes, fabrics, fittings and furniture
  • work out costs and prepare estimates
  • create detailed drawings from the initial sketches, usually on a computer
  • find suppliers of fittings, furniture, fabrics, and wall and floor coverings

Skills:

You’ll need:

  • knowledge of building and construction
  • design skills and knowledge
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
    drawing, computer-aided design (CAD) and model-making skills

As well as:

  • the ability to work out costs and keep to budgets
    business skills if self-employed
  • practical skills
  • excellent organisational and project-management skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things (creativity)
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • the ability to use your initiative (drive)
  • the ability to work well with others (teamwork)
Illustration of employee looking at workspace

Entry Requirements:

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

University
You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a relevant subject like:

  • interior design
  • art and design
  • interior architecture
  • spatial design

College
You could take a college course to get started, for example:

  • Level 3 Diploma in Interior Design
  • Level 3 Diploma in Art and Design
  • A Level in Art and Design

Apprenticeship
You could do a furniture design technician advanced apprenticeship to get into interior design.

Work
You could start as a design assistant with a company and take further training and qualifications on the job.

Working Hours and Environment:

You could work in an office, from home, in a creative studio or at a client’s business.

Career Path & Progression:

You could move into related work like theatre set design, visual merchandising, exhibition design or furniture design.